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Baby Luke always had a smile St. Mildred's Mosaic 11 · Thursday, February 4, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Continued from page 9 back, almost to spite the medical results and confound doctors. He met all of the milestones parents cheer for in an infant's progress. He sat up at six months, crawled at eight, gained weight and thrived. But his heart grew weaker. On Jan. 29, 2007, the team of specialists at SickKids performed open-heart surgery to replace Luke's pulmonary valve. "It was the hardest day of my life, so far, to hand over my little baby to the nurses in the operating room not knowing if I would see him alive again," said Carolyn. After touch and go times following the surgery and therapy at Bloorview Kids Rehab and ErinoakKids where he learned to crawl and eat orally again, true to his determined nature, Luke bounced back. "He was my Luke again," said Carolyn. But his recovery proved too short-lived. In September, Luke's heart struggled more. At this point only a heart transplant could save him. But tests to determine whether his body would accept a new organ revealed grim news. On Nov. 27, 2007, Carolyn and Troy were told the only option for their beautiful little boy with big blue eyes was palliative care. One month and one day later, on Dec. 28, 2007, Luke Holmes Luke passed away while asleep in his crib at home. As the grieving took hold of this young family, a tight-knit community wrapped itself around them. Last year, friends Laura Freedman, Lisa Rollin and Laura Hughes suggested a cookie fundraiser to celebrate Luke's birthday every Feb. 7. "This is our way of remembering Luke for the strong, courageous little fighter that he was," said Carolyn. "Despite being jabbed with needles, suffering with acid reflux, and in the end, enduring the pain of his organs failing, he still always had a smile and hug to give." PHOTOS BY MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER CELEBRATING DIVERSITY: Rebecca Strain (left) and Laxna Pathmanathan were two of the many performers at the recent fifth annual Mosaic Multicultural Festival at St. Mildred'sLightbourn School. The event showcasing more than 30 cultures also featured visual displays, food, a fashion show and interactive demonstrations. Making Lives Better One Visit At A TimeTM Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Inc. Office: 905.257.3452 Website: www.nursenextdoor.com Lori Paton RN, RRT Nurse Next Door's services range from a 3 hour a week concierge service to an onsite 24 hr per day Registered Nurse. February is Healthy Heart Month at Nurse Next Door Unfortunately, despite many years of research and education, vascular disease remains the number one killer of both men and women. However, research has shown that heart disease can be prevented and in some cases reversed. In fact, you can make changes in your life to reduce your risk. Below are five simple changes you can begin to do today to help improve your heart health. If you smoke, become smoke-free. Engage in regular physical activity for 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. Walking is a wonderful way to start. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Consume at least five servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Try including vegetables with each meal and fruit for dessert. Choose foods that are lower in sodium and limit the amount of salt you add when cooking or at the table. Nurse Next Door's caregivers are able to assist seniors with healthy meal preparation in the comfort of their home. They can also assist with mobility in the home or perhaps transportation to the local mall for safe, indoor exercise during the winter months. Call today to see how Nurse Next Door can help you work towards achieving a healthy heart. Q: What Makes a Great Basement? A: In a word, design. Design is truly what makes or breaks the basement you will either choose to spend time in or not. The design of the basement should be an extension of the rest of the home. Thus providing a continuous flow from the main floor carrying it right through to your unfinished storage space in the basement. 905-338-6179 Dr. Rosenblat D.D.S. Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street Suite 220, 2nd Floor 905-827-0301 OakdaleDental.ca Q: A: Why does the dentist need to take X-rays? X-rays are an important tool used by all dentists to see things not visible during a dental examination. We can see the condition of the teeth, roots and jaw and facial bones. The presence of diseases from periodontal (gum) disease to abscesses and abnormal growths such as cysts and tumors can be identified. While you may feel fine and think no x-rays need be taken, many illnesses such as high blood pressure, strokes, cancer and dental disease exhibit no symptoms until it's too late. Decay in teeth, under crowns and old fillings can remain painless until quite large or an abscess occurs. The result will be more serious and expensive treatment. I have found large cysts in numerous patients that could have resulted in the destruction of the patients jaw if not for accidental discovery on an x-ray allowing for timely treatment. Each one of us is bathed in some form of ionizing radiation each day whether it is from the sun, cosmic rays or the earth, about 1/3 of a dental x-ray each day. Because dental x-rays are of such a low dose, and focused on a tiny area of the body they are safe to use. To compare to medical diagnostic uses a good example would be a mammogram. You would have to be exposed to 2000 dental x-rays to equal a mammogram! Dentists decide how many x-rays to take using the ALARA principle: "As Low As Reasonably Possible". This means we take the minimum number of x-rays to do diagnose and treat a patient safely. And lastly, dentists cannot legally or ethically treat a patient without proper diagnosis and this has to include x-rays. Visit my dental blog for more on dentistry, I try to write regularly ... look for the "blog" link at the top of my website! The process begins with the expertise of a professional structural engineer who will aid you in the elimination of some, if not all of those annoying jack posts, or load bearing walls. It is from this point that the great room of the house begins to unfold. Open concept basements, that begin at the foot of the stairs, allows for multiple uses in one large space. Home theatres, bars, gyms and spas are just some of the ways people are utilizing their new found living space. Basements are no longer the cold un-inviting storage spaces they used to be. The basement has become a new dynamic living space in its own right. The Basement Space.com would be more than happy to assist you in planning your basement renovation. Please contact Ashley Trapman at 905-338-6179 Making Lives Better One Visit At A TimeTM